Butter cutting machine



A 33,, 1940. w. HHLGERS BUTTER CUTTING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1938INVENTOR HILGERS B nWV QM 'Patented Aug. 13, 1940 stares ApplicationMarch 22, 1938, Serial No. 197,491 In Germany December 24, 1937 eClaims.

through the charging hopper, in known machines, is introduced into themolding device by worms mounted in the compression chamber.

The butter fed to molding machines is cooled to a low temperature,irrespective of whether it be fresh butter or butter which has been instorage. This feature is economically favorable asmarkedly cooled butterwill withstand further storage even after automatic molding. It ishowever, disadvantageous in that markedly cooled butter, that is to sayhard butter, requires a high compressive force for molding it, asotherwise the molding chambers are not charged properly and with anexact weight of butter. the high compressive force-exerted by thepressure worms on the butter in certain cases adversely affects thequality of the butter and also subjects the working parts of the machineto unduly great stress.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which considerablyfacilitates the work ing of markedly cooled butter, i. e. hard butter,in butter molding machines.

The apparatus according to the invention consists of a butter cutterwhich serves to comminute the markedly cooled butter which is deliveredin large masses, so that the butter is fed to the butter molding machinein small pieces and not in disc-like blocks or thick slices as formerly.

This pretreatment of the butter obviates the aforesaid disadvantages, asthe function of the pressure worms of the molding machine, because ofsuch pretreatment, is only to force the loosened but flaky coherent massof butter into Moreover, I

motor, gearing or the like, so that the knives ro-' tate about their ownaxes which axes travel in a circular orbit.

The butter cutter according to the present invention has the advantagethat a number of small cutting edges are caused to operate on the massof butter so that the amount of power required to drive the machine issmall, although the entire surface of the mass. of butter, which isdelivered, for example in a barrel-shaped mass, is out by the knives.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a typical embodiment of :theinvention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1' is a front elevation of a butter cutter;

Fig. 2 is a sectional rear elevation showing 15 the main working membersof the butter cutter; and

Fig. 3 is a section through the butter cutter along the line 33 in Fig.2.

l denotes the main supporting frame of the entire apparatus which issuppcfted in an inclined position by the legs 2 and 3. The frame icarries, at its higher end, a chamber d, preferably of hexagonal orother polygonal cross-section. The chamber is fixed to the frame I byhoops 5 or the like which are secured to the frame I by screws 6. Thechamber 4 serves as means for guiding and thus conducting to the cuttingdevice the mass of butter l which is delivered to said chamber in theform of a barrel-shaped mass. As the cutting device tends to revolve themass of butter in the chamber 4, battens 8, whichare arranged topenetrate the butter, 'are provided in said chamber to prevent the massof butter from rotating during the cutting operation.

In front of the discharge opening in the chamber 4 there are arrangedtwo rotating radially extending knives 9 and ill, the cutting blades Hof which, as shown, are fixed on the knife supports l2 soas to extendobliquely to the axis of rotation. The dimensions of the supports I2 aresuch that the'cutting edges of the blades ll of the rotating knivesproject clear of these supports, and the surfaces l3 of these supportsform abutments which prevent the projecting blades l I of the rotatingknives 9 and I0 from penetrating too deeply into the butter whilecutting it. By adjustment of the blades H in the inclined slots M in thesupports H, the depth of cut of the knives can be regulated.

The rotating knives 9 and Ill are mounted on shafts l5 and I6respectively which are mounted in a hood or housing ll. The two shaftsl5 and I6 have'pinions l8 and l 9 fixed thereon which, form the planetwheels of a sun wheel 20. The

sun wheel is coaxial with a shaft 2| to which is fixed a flange 22 whichcarries the hood I I, v

ing member for the worm 24, said pulley beingcoupled by a belt 21 withthe driving shaft 28 of a motor 29. It should be noted that the wormwheel 23 is keyed firmly tothe shaft 2| by a key 30, so that the rotarymovements of the worm wheel 23 are transmitted to the shaft 2|. The sunwheel 20, however, is fixed to the wall 3| of the housing 32 which isfixed by means of lugs 3| to the frame I, and, therefore, the wheel 20does not revolve with the shaft 2| but remains in the position in whichit is secured by the screws 33.

The hood I! which carries the shafts l5 and N3 of the knives 9 and I0,is fixedly connected to the shaft 2| by the key 34. When the shaft 2|revolves, the shafts l5 and I6 also revolve about the axis of the shaft2|. The toothed wheels l8 and I9 at the same time cause the shafts l5and I6 to revolve on their own axes, as the pinions l8 and H3 move roundthe stationary sun wheel 20.

The rotatory and orbital movements of the shafts I5 and I6 produced bythe sun-and-planet gearing l8, I9, 20 cause movement of the blades Iover the entire surface of the inserted barrelshaped mass of butterwhich is thereby cut uniformly into strips.-

The out butter falls in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2and is caught by a vessel 35 shown in Fig. 1. The butter can betransferred by means of scoops from the vessel 35 into a moldingmachine.

In many cases it is advisable that the entire apparatus should not bestationary. The legs 2 are, therefore, provided with rollers or casters36,

' while the legs 3 are provided with handles 31.

By means of these devices, the butter cutter can be moved about withfacility in the manner of a barrow, as the main weight is carried by therollers 36.

In order to protect the operatives from injury, it is advisable toprovide a hood 38 which is open at the bottom, and which is so arrangedthat it covers the rotating and orbitally moving knives 9 and Hi.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the bestmeans I knowof carrying the same into practical effect, I claim:

1. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a plurality of knife blades arranged with theircutting edges extending transversely with respect to a common axis andfacing in the same general direction, means for conducting a mass ofbutter to the knife blades, means for rotating the knife blades bodilyabout a common axis, and means for rotating the said axis as a whole.

2. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a sun-and-planet gear, a plurality of knifeblades carried by the planet wheel of the said gear and arranged withtheir cutting edges extending transversely with respect to the axis ofthe planet wheel, means for conducting a mass of butter to the knifeblades, means for holding fixed the sun wheel of the sun-and-planetgear, and means for rotating the planet wheel about the sun Wheel.

3. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a knife support, a plurality of knife bladesmounted on and projecting forward from the knife support and arrangedwith theircutting edges extending transversely with respect to a commonaxis, means for conducting a mass of butter to the knife blades'andagainst the knife support, the knife support thereby serving as anabutment for the butter, means for rotating the knife blades bodilyabout the said common axis, and means for rotating the said axis as awhole.

4. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a sun-and-Dlanet gear, a knife support carriedby the planet wheel of the said gear, a plurality of knife bladesmounted on and projecting forwardly from the knife support and arrangedwith their cutting edges extending transversely with respect to the axisof the planet wheel, means for conducting a mass of butter against theknife blades and against the knife support, the knife support therebyserving as an abutment for the butter, means for holding fixed the sunwheel of the sun-and-planet gear, and means for rotating the axis of theplanet wheel about the axis of the sun wheel.

5. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a plurality ofsubstantially rectilinear knifeblades arranged with their cutting edges substantially in a common planeand facing in the same general direction, means for conducting a mass ofbutter to said knife blades, means for rotating the knife blades bodilyabout a common axis, and means for rotating the said axis as a whole.

6. A butter cutting machine for cutting large masses of butter intosmall pieces, comprising a knife support, a plurality of substantiallyrectilinear knife blades mounted on and projecting forwardly from theknife support and arranged with their cutting edges substantially in acommon plane, means for conducting a mass of butter to the knife bladesand against the knife support, the knife support thereby serving as anabutment for the butter, means for rotating the knife blades bodilyabout a common axis, and means for rotating the said axis as awhole,

WILHELM HILGERS.

